Colliding Paths
by LitLove
Summary: Over the years they kept in touch. They never felt like losing contact, always knew that the other woman was there, somewhere. Knew that the other one understood. That no matter what, they were constants in each other's lives. - Post Season 4 of both shows, slightly AU for background purposes only. Jane/Lisbon, Castle/Beckett
1. Prologue & There's always a before

**A/N**: Yes, you see right. I really did it. I tried myself on a crossover between The Mentalist and Castle. Because I love both shows. And because I totally got inspired by **yaba**'s "_The Rules of Every Successful Merger_" and both of **waterbaby134**'s stories "_It Takes a Village_" and "_Scratched_". If you don't know them, go and read them. They're awesome!

This story takes place somewhen after both Season 4 finales, but from there on it's all my imagination. And I really don't need to tell you more, because everything else will be explained within the story. I also decided to post the Prologue together with the first chapter, because somehow I felt like the both should stay together ... I don't know. Also, this is my first attempt in writing for Castle and - quite frankly - it doesn't come that easy to me. Therefore I'm afraid this will contain more Mentalist than Castle, for I just feel more comfortable writing them. But be assured that I try really hard to give everybody their fair share. ;)

That's all, folks. Thanks go to my awesome beta **Kassandra** (Thank you for you constant encouragement! I couldn't do it without you!), to all my reviewers and readers of previous stories, and to all those awesome authors out there who save me day after day by providing the much needed reading material. This is to you, guys!

And now: ENJOY! ;)

**Disclaimer:** _The Mentalist _and _Castle_ belong to their respective networks and creators. Nothing related to them is mine. This story was written purely for fun. No money, no copyright infringement, no nothing.

* * *

**COLLIDING PATHS**

* * *

**Prologue**

They just closed a case. A very nasty one, so to speak, and all of them were relieved when the handcuffs were secured around the killers wrists.

Jane had just made some joke about Rigsby nearly falling all over his feet whenever it came to showing off new pictures of Benjamin, and all of them (except for Rigsby of course) joined in the laughter. A minute later she finished off the last bite of their after-case-pizza while returning to her office to work on the paperwork, when her phone rang and a familiar area code flashed on the screen. Still smiling she picked up, pronouncing a short, Lisbon.

Only a heartbeat later her smile was gone. Serious, controlled, tough-as-nails Senior Agent Teresa Lisbon surfaced, nodded a few times, asked short questions like "_When?_" and "_Who?_" and "_Why?_" every once in a while, before she confirmed with "_I'm on my way._" Afterwards she snapped her phone close and passed her own office on the way to Julian O'Neilley, Luther Wainwright's replacement as CBI chief after the latter was killed in their last show-off with Red John a few months ago. O'Neilley reminded them a lot of Minelli.

While the other agents fooled around and had fun, not even realizing the strange behavior of their boss, their consultant had curiously watched her every move. His concern increased after he discovered her serious face and then her storming off in the direction of Julian's office. What had happened?

Not five minutes later she hurried back and stopped in front of them with the words "Guys, I need to talk to you."

If he was worried before, now he was panicking.

**oOo**

His wife had just called and threatened (with a smile nonetheless) to sell his favorite Stones LP, if he didn't make it home for dinner by seven, and he was still playfully debating with her, when a short knock was heard and a moment later Teresa Lisbon stood in his office.

The introduction of his little girls boyfriend (okay, she was 23, so maybe not _that_ little anymore) immediately lost his interest when his eyes fell on the determined expression on the agents face. He told his wife that he would call her back and then turned to the woman standing in front of his desk.

"Agent Lisbon, how may I help you?"

"I'm sorry, Sir, for interrupting like this, but this is kind of an emergency."

O'Neilley sighed. He may not have been CBI chief for long, but he had already heard enough stories including Agent Lisbon and her team. Especially stories about her more than unconventional consultant and the problems he loved to cause.

"What did Jane do this time?"

A small smile crossed her lips, but a blink of an eye later it was gone again.

"Surprisingly this time it has nothing to do with Jane."

And with these words he pricked his ears.

**oOo**

24 hours later Teresa Lisbon stepped through the sliding doors of JFK International Airport in New York, hailed a taxi, and told the cabbie where to go. She had a suitcase with her, plus a bottle of tequila and a box full of Swiss chocolate, and minus a badge and a gun.

* * *

**Chapter 1 – There's always a before …**

_New York Police Department Police Academy, July 2000_

She had decided not to continue her law studies at Stanford, but instead – as silly as it may sound – she joined the Police Academy. And she really _liked _it.

Of course it was rough. Wake up at 5 a.m., lights out at 10 p.m. sharp. The days were filled with academics and physical training, with human relations, law, and tactics. Driving. Firearms.

And Kate loved it. It was her second month here and right from the beginning she felt that she had chosen the right thing for her. Every day brought her one step closer to the goal of finding her mother's killer. In only six short months her training would be over and then she would join the NYPD.

The door to her dorm opened and in stepped recruit Lisbon. Or her friend Teresa, as she was known after the drill of the day had ended.

Teresa had started her training about a month earlier than Kate, joining NYPDPA after finishing her undergrad studies in criminology and human behavior at Chicago State. She was two years older than her, and constantly worrying about her three younger brothers, age 19, 17 and 16, whom she had left for the first time in over 10 years, in the custody of an aunt back in Chicago.

Their lives had so many similarities. Both lost their mother: Teresa to a drunk driver when she was only twelve; Kate to an unknown murderer only around one and a half years ago, when she was nineteen. Both had fathers with an alcoholic past: Teresa had lost the battle, her father killing himself one drunken night when she was only 18 and _'one more drink'_ was simply too much, leaving her with three younger brothers to take care of; Kate was still fighting the battle, trying everything she could to get her father sober.

They met and instantly liked each other.

"I swear, Katie, at some point Bings will break my neck. There isn't a single bone in my body which doesn't scream out in pain. I'm even too tired to call Greg," Lisbon sighed before dropping down onto her bed.

Beckett grinned and with a sideways glance playfully scoffed, "At least you had physical training today. I had academics and driving. What a bore!"

They looked at each other and started to giggle.

**oOo**

_California Bureau of Investigation, June 2004_

She was only 26, a detective only for little over a year now, and already got hired by the CBI. It came a little by surprise, to tell the truth. One Tuesday afternoon, about a week after the McTier case got closed, her phone rang and Chief Agent Virgil Minelli from the CBI asked her if she was interested in a career within the Bureau.

So two weeks later she had all her stuff packed, had rented an apartment in Sacramento, and had a tearful goodbye with her colleagues from San Francisco Police Department. The evening before her move to California's capital city she had a last dinner with Sam Bosco and his family. He was her mentor, her friend. Everything she knew about police work, she knew from him.

And now she was here: Junior Agent Teresa Lisbon, CBI. It still sounded strange, even to her own ears.

When she first told Kate about it, the younger woman nearly screamed her ear off in excitement. Katherine Beckett may still worked as a regular Police Officer at the NYPD, but both women knew that it would be only a matter of time for her to get promoted to Detective. Rumor had it – as Kate had told her – that Connelly from the homicide department at the 12th Precinct was to retire the next month and that his second in command, Roy Montgomery, was to take over. Resulting in an open spot at the homicide unit. Rumor also had it that Kate was most likely to get that spot, together with the before mentioned promotion.

"We will see how it works out," she told her friend over the phone one Saturday evening, "But enough of all the _if_'s and _when_'s. Tell me all about your first few weeks at the bureau."

And Teresa started to tell her about her new boss, Virgil Minelli, who reminded her so much of her father before he turned to alcohol, and who told her he hired her because he thought she had a lot of potential to be an excellent Agent. About her new unit – at the Serious Crimes department – and her new team, consisting of a Senior Agent in Charge, another Senior Agent and two Junior Agents. She told her about their first case, the murder of a young waitress on a state highway just outside of Sacramento.

"Today Minelli signed up with a new consultant. He will be with Lionel Cooper from Commercial Crimes. We met him today. Wait, what was his name? Something feminine …," Teresa thought for a minute, "… ah, yes. Jane. That was it. Patrick Jane."

"Sounds familiar," Beckett pondered, "wasn't that the name of that TV psychic whose family got murdered last year?"

"Exactly. That's him," Lisbon paused, before muttering under her breath, "Trust me when I tell you that half of his success was solely based on the fact that he can charm the pants off of anyone. No wonder the girls from accounting all swooned when he appeared in the bull pen."

Kate giggled, "And as far as I can remember he isn't bad on the eyes either. Did he charm _your_ pants off you, Reese?"

"Oh, shut up!" Lisbon shot back, but giggling at the same time, before steering the topic away to safer regions. She didn't want to think about the immediate attraction she had for one Patrick Jane. Moreover she didn't even have time for thoughts like that, or else maybe the thing with her and Greg had worked out in the end. And _that_ she didn't want to think about for sure.

"What about you?" she therefore turned the attention to her friend, "Did _you_ meet someone?"

This earned her only a scoff and laugh.

**oOo**

_California Bureau of Investigation, May 2005_

"Are you sure, Lisbon?"

"Of course, Sir."

"You know, this may break your neck."

"I'm aware of that, Sir."

"And you still want to take the risk?" he looked confused actually, even a little concerned, "Why?"

Lisbon smiled, "He closes cases, Sir."

And that was it. That was how Patrick Jane came to work for Teresa Lisbon.

The young woman was a miracle. She was climbing up the career ladder like nobody had seen before. Only a little over eleven months ago she had joined the CBI. Four months later she was promoted from Junior to Senior Agent (a first in the history of CBI). And two months ago, after one of the Serious Crimes Unit's Agents in Charge Fisher left them for the FBI, the Bureau (with recommendations from Minelli) decided to promote Agent Lisbon again. Now _she_ was the Agent in Charge of Fisher's old team (another first, also for a woman to head a SCU). The unit consisted of another Senior Agent, Kimball Cho, her new second in command, and a Junior Agent, Wayne Rigsby, freshly joining them from the arson investigation group of the SFPD.

A month into the job she stood in the break room to prepare herself a coffee, when she accidentally eavesdropped on a conversation between the secretaries of _Narcotics_ (Susan) and _Emergency Operations _(Olivia).

"Livy, he drives us nuts. As cute as he is I can't imagine that _anybody_ can work with this man. He knows no bounds, seriously," Susan huffed and rolled her eyes while telling this.

"You're exaggerating, Susan, I'm sure," Olivia tried to play it down, which only brought her another huff from her colleague.

"Definitely not! We are the _fifth_ unit he's worked with since he joined CBI as a consultant and I'm sure he will soon join his sixth. Jordan told me yesterday that he drives him nuts and that he will talk to Minelli about reassigning Jane. He may close cases, but he certainly has unorthodox methods to do that."

After that Lisbon decided to head back to her office, coffee in hand.

That evening, after she worked through the papers of their latest case, she took Patrick Jane's file and started to read carefully. She took in all the data, read about the tragic occurrence of his family's death at the hands of a serial killer named _Red John_, studied all reports from the Agents in Charge of all the different units he had worked for by now (and – to be honest – it was quite fun to read. Did he really make a drug dealer confess over a game of poker?), and in the end she looked at his case statistics.

A close rate of nearly a 100%.

When she talked to Kate later that week and told her about all of it, the NYPD Detective assured her.

"If your instincts tell you that this is a good idea, then go for it, Reese. You should trust them; they brought you to where you are now."

"But that's just the point, Kate. My instincts send me mixed messages. On the one hand they tell me to go along with it. That this is a great opportunity. A nearly 100% close rate! I've never seen that before. And on the other hand they tell me that this will most likely be the stupidest decision of my career. Which is it?"

If only she had known …

**oOo**

_12__th__ Precinct of the New York Police Department, April 2007_

"Thank you, Sir! I am honored."

"You deserve it, Beckett," Captain Montgomery clarified, "After all, you're one of my best men. No offense."

She smiled, "None taken."

Montgomery nodded, half a smile on his face, and handed over her new badge.

That night at her apartment, while being on the phone with her best friend, a glass of red wine in hand, Kate danced around and felt like she could fly.

"Reese, please let me introduce you to Detective in Charge Katherine Beckett, 12th Precinct Homicide Squad of the New York Police Department. One of the youngest detectives in the history of the NYPD. Very pleased to meet you!"

She laughed and took a sip from the wine, and listened to the praises from Lisbon. 3,000 miles separated them, which made their talks only possible via phone, but that didn't change the fact that Teresa was the first one to hear about news like that, and the other way around. Seven years of friendship and they may have seen each other a handful of times, but that wasn't important. Important was the fact, that although 3,000 miles separated them, they still could count on each other. No matter what.

"Tell me the details! Did that hottie Esposito get signed up with your team?" Nobody else would have got this sentence out of Senior Agent Teresa Lisbon. With Kate it was just different. They never felt like holding anything back. There were too many similarities, too much understanding. They didn't _want_ to hold anything back.

"Aw, of course! But you know that we ended the affair about a year ago. We are friends now. Friends only," Kate clarified, while topping up the wine in her glass.

"Doesn't make him less hotter," Teresa replied chuckling, and her friend joined in.

"So it's me, Esposito, and Kevin Ryan. I think he's Irish. Worked at the 22nd before, has a good reputation."

"Aw, Katie! This is so fantastic! You really deserve … JANE!" Lisbon suddenly called angry, "Do you mind?! I'm on the phone! And I don't want you within 10 yards of me after that stunt you pulled today. Now get out of my office!"

A muffled "_You're no fun, Lisbon! I just wanted to take a nap on your couch, keep you a little company. That's not too outrageous, in my opinion. And my _stunt_ solved the case, didn't it? You don't have to be so mean!_" was heard, before the Senior Agent growled back, "It also tripled my paperwork. _Again_! So, out! Now! _Delight_ someone else with your company!"

The woman on the other end of the line couldn't hold back her laugh, before inquiring about this latest stunt of Lisbon's consultant.

"What did Jane do this time?"

The Agent sighed; nevertheless the half-smile was noticeable in her voice, "Don't even ask."

**oOo**

Over the years they kept in touch, sometimes more regularly, sometimes with weeks in between their last call. Still, they never felt like losing contact, always knew that the other woman was there, somewhere. Knew that the other one understood (they had both quite annoying consultants after all) that no matter what, they were constants in each other's lives.

When Beckett was shot, Lisbon was there. Not immediately after the event, but a little while later, when the support from others was still there, but had already slackened slightly. They took a two-week-trip to Maine, feeling like they were twenty again, when they had spent all their spare time together and were not yet separated for over half a decade. With no care in the world. Two best friends enjoying their precious time together.

When it was the other way around, with Lisbon receiving the bullet in her shoulder, Kate dropped everything and stayed with her friend for a little over a week, ordering take out, getting her to physical therapy, keeping her brothers in check (it was a busy, loud and very crowded week in Lisbon's apartment) which distracted her of the fact that Jane was in prison waiting for his trial.

When Kate was ready to try a relationship with Castle, but he disappeared with his ex-wife for the summer before she could tell him, it was Teresa trying to console her sobbing friend over the phone.

When Teresa couldn't sleep because Jane had vanished for six months, with no word, no sign of life, seemingly breaking down, it was Kate who spent more than one night talking on the phone with her.

Therefore it was the most natural thing in the world that now that Kate had _resigned,_ and hadn't picked up her phone in 48 hours, Lisbon was on her way. She met Kevin Ryan about a year ago when she met Beckett at the station before their trip to Maine, and was really thankful that he had called her now and told her the news.

The two women had worked so hard to get where they were now, this couldn't be it. She needed to talk to Kate, needed to know her motives for such a drastic step.

45 minutes after stepping through the sliding doors at JFK, Lisbon entered Beckett's apartment with the spare key that both of them had for each other's residences (3,000 miles separating them and still they wouldn't give it to anybody else). She had every intention to confront her best friend about her actions when she entered only to find a half naked man in her living room.

**TBC**


	2. Charmer

**A/N: **With special thanks to** waterbaby134 **and** HannahbananaJane **for their lovely reviews. :)

Hope you enjoy. Reviews would be lovely.

**Disclaimer:** _The Mentalist _and _Castle_ belong to their respective networks and creators. Nothing related to them is mine. This story was written purely for fun. No money, no copyright infringement, no nothing.

* * *

**Chapter 2 – Charmers**

A very feminine scream was heard (and it didn't come from Lisbon), before the man grabbed a blanket off the couch and held it in front of him to cover himself up.

"Jesus Christ! Who are you?!"

Lisbon put her suitcase down – her eyes not once leaving the man a few yards away – and crossed her arms in front of her body, one eyebrow raised, "Who are _you_?!"

They stared at each other for a few moments, before once again the man opened his mouth and cried a slightly panicked, "Beckett? _Beckett_!"

Shortly thereafter a flabbergasted woman stumbled into the living room, hair dripping wet and only clad in a silken bathrobe, a slightly annoyed expression on her face, "_What_, Castle?! I was just taking a shower, as I have told you not 5 minutes …," her eyes travelled to the point the man was staring at and all annoyance was suddenly gone, replaced by surprise," … Reese?"

Lisbon's eyes travelled to her friend, took in her appearance with an amused grin, before she snickered, provocatively waving one arm, "_This_ is Castle? When did _that_ happen?"

"Hey!" the man recovered quickly, a hurt tone in his voice, "What do you mean with _'this' _and that very pejorative flail with the arm? I'm a very handsome fella! I don't feel like I deserve your insult."

The two women simply ignored him. Kate stepped over to her best friend – delighted and taken aback at the same time – hugging Lisbon fiercely, "What are you doing here?"

Lisbon hugged back, equally delighted, and answered truthfully, "I got a call."

"By whom?"

"Ryan."

"Oh …"

"Yep."

"I think we have a lot to talk about."

Lisbon smiled, "I think so too."

"Hello?" a third voice interrupted their talk and the two women turned to the man they totally forgot about, "I'm still here? And, truth to be told, quite confused."

Kate smiled and both women stepped over to him. The former NYPD-Detective slipped her arm around his waist, before she started to talk, "Reese, this is Rick Castle. Castle, this is my best friend, Teresa Lisbon."

"Whoa," another surprised gasp escaped the man, huge eyes suddenly staring at her, "you're Lisbon? The CBI Agent?" he paused a second to take her in, "I sure thought you were taller."

"Castle!" Beckett called appalled, while Lisbon simply raised an eyebrow again, crossed her arms in front of her once more, and deadpanned, "Another charmer. Lucky me."

**oOo**

Meanwhile back in Sacramento Jane sulked away on his couch in the bull pen. His _other_ couch was not available at the moment, for a) Lisbon's office was locked (which wouldn't have been a problem, but right now there were way too many people surrounding him), and b) it had lost its appeal for the moment because before mentioned Senior Agent was not even around.

When she stepped up to them after coming back from O'Neilley, and told them she needed to talk to them, his heart nearly stopped beating. What was this phone call about? Was it bad news? Of course it was bad news, her face had clearly shown that. But _how_ bad? Was it so bad that she … was _quitting_ or something similar?

At this thought he would have loved to sit down, because suddenly his knees felt like giving way under him. But of course he didn't. He was Patrick Jane. Everybody knew that he cared, in his own weird way, but nobody knew how _much_ he cared. How much he had cared _for years_ now.

Lisbon knew. Maybe only recently, but still: he had informed her while taking her clothes off of her for the first time.

But now was not the time to think about that. She was about to tell them something and he owed her his full attention. His three other comrades looked curious at the boss (and maybe even a little worried), when she suddenly said: "I will be gone for a while. I hope not for too long, but at this point I can't say how long it will take," they could hear Van Pelt gasp and were thankful to her for showing the shock all of them felt but couldn't express properly. "It's a personal matter, it has nothing to do with the job, and I fully intend to return as soon as possible. While I'm gone I will not be reachable. I will not have my badge, nor my gun. Cho, you take over. O'Neilley just signed off on it, effective immediately. I expect only the best of you, guys. And Jane?" she fixed him with a serious stare, "_Behave_!"

"Okay, Boss," the three agents responded nearly all at the same time. Lisbon smiled and then turned around to go and grab her stuff from her office. While Van Pelt, Rigsby and Cho went back to their desks to finalize their paperwork on the case, their consultant took the few steps over to the Senior Agent's office and slipped in, closing the door behind him.

"I'm in a hurry, Jane," she told him before he even had a chance to say anything, "What is it?"

"Is it something with your brothers?"

"No," she actually smiled, "but that doesn't make it less personal."

He smiled back, "You're very hard to read at the moment, my dear. Is it someone else of the family?"

A half scoff, half laugh escaped her, while she threw the last things in her purse and slung it over her shoulder. Then she straightened up and looked at him, slightly annoyed, "I'm sorry that I can't be an open book to you at all times. But yes, Jane. Someone of the family. Maybe not by blood, but still." With that she stepped away from her desk and over to the door.

"Lisbon?" For the first time in a long while Jane wasn't sure what to say. It made him frustrated, and worried, and curious at the same. How did she do that?

"Listen, Jane," she sighed, "I have a lot to organize and I can't really talk right now."

She looked tired, even exhausted, and the man could see at the moment she simply didn't have the energy to give him the explanation he was hoping for. Jane decided to let it go. Also, for the moment. He knew her; she wouldn't keep it a secret for long.

"Of course," he answered therefore, "I understand. Be safe, Lisbon."

She nodded and turned again to the door, but paused once more before pushing it open. Her hand already rested on the handle, but almost shyly her head turned halfway around back to him, "Will you stop by tonight?"

The smile nearly split his face in two, "If you want me to?" He followed her outside.

She laughed softly and while locking the door of her office she told him, "Bring some wine." And with that she turned to the bull pen, said goodbye to her agents, before walking over to the elevators and leaving CBI's headquarters.

**oOo**

Later that night she had told him that she was needed in New York, but nothing else, while they were lying in her bed, facing each other, after a glass of the wine he had brought and a couple of hours filled with mind-blowing sex. Her flight to the Big Apple was scheduled for six the following morning. He had tried to get more information out of her, but she distracted him successfully every time (Miss Lisbon had very talented hands and a cute little mouth, that's for sure).

They had left together, she to the airport, and he back to his impersonal motel room. He was a little miffed to tell the truth, that she didn't ask him to join her on the trip. They both knew that he wouldn't behave very well when she was not around and that twice that much paperwork would wait for her upon her return. Still, she hadn't said a word, just gave him a kiss goodbye, murmuring another "_Please behave._" at his lips, and climbed into the taxi waiting in front of her apartment.

By now, he had even stopped his sulking on the couch, trying to get his thoughts directed onto something different.

And something different he thought of quite fast.

At first he abandoned the idea as fast as it had entered his mind. It was dangerous. And it was against everything they had agreed on from the beginning. He had promised Lisbon to not go and talk to her by his own. Maybe at first he wouldn't agree, but at some point – after hours of nagging, and begging, and cursing on their way back from Vegas – he just gave in, knowing that this point simply wasn't up for discussion with her. Still, he warned her, explained that he had to lie, to deceive, to _seduce_ even. That he had to play on the connection the other one thought they had. That she – Lisbon – couldn't interrupt his game. And Lisbon had just nodded, promised to not interrupt as long as he accepted at least the slightest of boundaries they had to keep to not endanger the case, before she agreed to her part of the deal.

He had seen the hurt in her eyes when she walked out of the interrogation room after their first talk with Lorelei, having just received the news that after nearly a decade of self-induced celibacy he had given himself to a woman. A deceivable, manipulative _bitch,_ none the less.

It broke his heart seeing her like this. She went through so much, head always held high, never giving up. Always having hope for him. Trusting him. Worrying for him. The least he could have done for her was telling her himself and not letting her run into the open knife, like it had happened in the end.

Another regret he had to learn to live with.

She was the one thing keeping everything in and around him together. The one thing still surprising him, making him laugh, after he thought there wouldn't be any more happiness for him in this life. The one thing letting him still believe that at some point, one day, he would be the one _winning_ the battle against Red John, ending this war of minds and cruelties.

The one thing making him consider an _after_.

When he finally caught her alone (it took him days, and he had to follow her to her apartment) and started to explain – not because she insisted on an explanation, or forced him to tell her his motives, but because he _wanted_ her to know – she interrupted him quite fast, eyes scanning their surroundings, but never him, "There's nothing we need to talk about, Jane. Nothing to explain. You had your reasons and in some twisted, sick kind of a way I even understand them. I only wished you would have made a better choice in a woman; that she had turned out to be a nice girl and showing you that there are still things worth living for except revenge. I tried for so long and you never listened, so maybe another woman would be able to let you see? Boy, was I wrong," she sighed, a short, bitter laugh escaped her, before she continued, "Because instead fate screwed you over again, encouraging you to keep following that cruel path you've already been on for so many years. So keep walking, Jane," she looked up at him at this point, eyes boring into his, glassy and totally defeated, he nearly collapsed under her gaze, out of sheer despair.

What had he _done_? What had he done to his beautiful, magnificent, hopeful Lisbon? Where did the light around her go? Where was this dark aura coming from? Where was that sparkle in her eyes? The mischievous smile?

But she wasn't done yet, and her next words were nearly as defeating as Red John's knife all those years ago.

"I will walk with you, every step, with bleeding feet and a broken heart, until the end. I will allow you your revenge, I will stand there with you, and I will let you walk into your doom like you always have wished for, because I love you. If nothing else, this I can do for you. It's the only thing left. Fate wins, Patrick. I lost hope to save even the smallest part of you. I give up. I was not enough, I never will be."

At this point he forcefully grabbed her by the shoulders, slightly shaking her. For the first time since they met she saw raw horror on his face, he didn't even try to mask it. His whole body screamed fear. Desperation. _Panic_.

"Don't, Lisbon! Never say that again! You were _always_ enough. If _you're_ not enough, what is? Please, don't lose hope! I beg you! If you lose hope, we are doomed," his breath was heavy now and he crushed her to his chest, wrapping his arms tightly around her, his next words coming out in whispers, "Don't you know, my dear? Don't you know that _you_ are the light? The trust? The hope? Everything I breathe, and feel, and be? You're my _every thought,_ Teresa. Without you I will suffer, I will stumble, and in the end I will fail. I will seek the revenge and he will win again, even in his death," he took some more shaking breaths and pressed his face into her hair, "Don't you see, love? As long as you hope, as long as you see it in yourself to bear with me, there needn't even be a question about being _enough_. You're not only enough, Teresa, you're _everything_! Please keep believing, love. Hoping. And my _after_ will be _you_, dearest, and not him."

At this point she gave into the sobs she was holding back for what felt like an eternity. Her body shook violently, but her arms wrapped around him, her face pressed into the bend connecting his shoulder with his neck. He pressed kisses to her forehead, and her hair, and her face. The smell of her tears wafted up his nose; their wetness burnt his skin where they connected. They stood like this for what felt like hours, and he told himself that no matter what, she – this wonderful, selfless soul – was worth everything. Even the amendment of the revenge of his family.

It was this moment they turned from Jane and Lisbon to _Patrick and Teresa_. It felt like the most natural thing, being in each other's arms. In each other's presences. They had worked together for so long, none of them could tell when partners turned to friends, and friends finally turned to lovers. It happened somewhere along the way, not planned or provoked, just naturally developing. Even if it took them longer than anyone would have anticipated.

She told him, she loved him. He told her, she was his everything.

But now he was sitting in one of the high-security interrogation rooms downstairs and waited to break yet another promise he had given her. Cho had asked him before what he was up to, but the Agent simply hadn't the experienced eye of a Lisbon when it came to Jane's schemes. And Teresa was in New York doing God knows what, returning whenever, and hadn't even called although her plane had landed roughly three hours ago and she had promised to give him a ring as soon as she arrived safely. So it seemed like he wasn't the only one breaking promises today.

The door opened and two guards entered. In between them they held a smirking woman wearing orange overalls. Her hair was different than the last time, short and messy. Her eyes twinkled the same.

Jane despised her, even if he couldn't show it.

She took a seat in the chair opposite him, eyes fixed on his face, smiling at him like she knew exactly why she was here. Not even Jane knew why he wanted to talk to her, it was on impulse that the thought entered his mind and he just couldn't get rid of it. He just had to talk to her, his gut feeling had told him. Even if it meant breaking his promise to Lisbon (which he truly felt bad about).

"Lorelei," he greeted her politely, watching the guards securing her with hand- and feet cuffs and afterwards leaving to stay guard at the other side of the door.

"Why, hello, _Lover_. Truth to be told, I didn't expect you today." The smile was still present, and it somehow unnerved him that she was so calm and collected.

"Ah, you know me. When the gut feeling tells me to do something, I need to listen. Today it told me to speak to you. Who am I to disobey?" He shrugged once, before he put his hands to rest on his crossed legs. "How's Red John, Lorelei?"

This little game of his hadn't yet shown any effect. Every time he talked to her and asked about how Red John was doing, she smiled and told him something different. He knew she didn't really know what her master was up to. She was in solitary confinement; there was not a chance for her to get any information from the outside. Still, she never fidgeted when he asked the question, not even cracking a little.

"Perfect. Thank you for asking, Patrick," she sent him a brilliant smile, "He sends his regards. Oh, and he asked me to tell you, that he won't be here for a while. He has some business to attend outside of California."

"Hard to imagine he lets something out of his eyes even for a second when it's so important to him. Now of all times, too."

She laughed, "You talking about yourself, _Lover_?"

Now it was his time to smile brilliantly, "I'm talking about _you_, Lorelei."

For the split of a second he thought he saw shock flashing in her eyes, but it was gone so fast, replaced by sheer amusement, that he couldn't be sure he really saw it.

"_Lover_, you're really amusing. I start to understand why John is so delighted in you," her smile turned into a patronizing pout, "But still, you seem to think that your little mind tricks will work on me at some point. Stupid, little _Lover_."

He ignored her second statement, concentrating on the first one. "So Red John is delighted about me, and I have, let's _assume_ just for the benefit of the situation, his _favorite_ little girl under my thumb. And he's still going out of state to attend some other business? Once again: Hard to believe."

The laugh escaping her was so carefree, his façade almost dropped. Only in the last moment he regained his poise, sitting there with half a grin on his face, eyeing her in fake amusement.

"Oh, _Lover_," she finally choked out in laughter, "You think way too one-dimensional. Whoever said you're John's _only_ favorite toy? But what am I saying here. Don't listen to my antics. There are way more interesting things to talk about." Lorelei paused to let the sentences settle in, even though Jane didn't show any reaction. She shrugged once, before pushing herself forward to lean on her arms on the table, nearly whispering her next words, "Tell me, _Lover_: How's that bossy lady-friend of yours? I heard you're enjoying her body now that I'm no longer available."

The woman stopped talking again, seeing for the first time a slight reaction from the man in front of her, unnoticeable for the untrained eye. Her smile broadened at that, and she continued nonchalant, "I admit, at first I was a little miffed about that, but then I told myself to stop. '_Lorelei_,' I said, _'Lorelei, don't be mad with Patrick. He had to suffer through so much; he deserves that little happiness for the time being. After all, he longed for her for so many years now. Grant him that little piece of bliss. For the moment, at least._'," she paused again, waiting to strike for the last time. When Jane didn't interrupt her, she decided to end today's interview. She was a little tired and wanted to return to her cell, knowing that after her next sentence she wouldn't be of interest for Patrick any longer.

"She's visiting her friend Detective Beckett at the moment, isn't she? Ah, yes. John _loves_ to remember dear Kate once in a while. And, now that I mentioned it, I think he said something about being needed in New York. What a coincidence."

**TBC**


	3. Remembering Your Dearest

**A/N: **With special thanks to** waterbaby134, AshLiz, LoveandWinning, Guest, andrea-kenz **and** shootingstarsareawesome **for their lovely reviews. :)

Sorry for the long wait, Writer's block one day decided to move in with me and doesn't leave anymore. I try my best to get rid of it, so the next chapter will be with you as soon as possible. :)

Hope you enjoy. Reviews would be lovely.

**Disclaimer:** _The Mentalist _and _Castle_ belong to their respective networks and creators. Nothing related to them is mine. This story was written purely for fun. No money, no copyright infringement, no nothing.

* * *

**Chapter 3 – Remembering Your Dearest **

"See you soon, _Lover_. As usual it was a pleasure," were the last words she directed at him, before she was pushed through the door and was gone again.

Jane hadn't allowed himself to show any reaction as long as she was sitting opposite him. He simply nodded, called for the guards and told them he was done for the day. He was even able to give her a smile and whispered an amused, "Thank you, dear," before watching her leave.

But now that she was gone, he sucked in a short breath. His hands shook slightly; his vision was blurry. For any other person it would have looked like he was just sitting there, deep in thought, staring at nothing in particular, when in reality he nearly was panicking.

Red John was after Lisbon. He was _actively_ after her.

Jane wasn't a fool. He had known she was a target ever since Lorelai had told him Red John demanded her as a sacrifice. He had known that the Senior Agent must have been watched for a while now, and that the secretly developing feelings he had for her were not so secret after all. It was also one of the reasons he allowed himself to act on those feelings. Lisbon was on Red John's radar, no matter what. He could no longer protect her by pushing back what she meant to him. By not allowing himself to acknowledge the feelings _she_ had for _him_. It wasn't fair to her. It wasn't fair to _them_.

He had told Lisbon all of this, and – as usual – she took it better than he would have guessed. Once again she surprised him with her reaction and assured him that she was aware of all of that. That she had been aware of it from the day Officer Hardy had pointed that gun at her. Lisbon was certain that she hadn't been just a randomly chosen person that day. They would never know, but she was convinced that Red John instructed Hardy to at least get her if he couldn't get Jane.

But now she was out of town. More than that: She was nearly 3,000 miles away and he hadn't talked to her in hours. She wasn't aware of anything, thought herself safe. She didn't even have her gun with her! And whatever she may be prepared for: He wouldn't take the risk of letting Red John even get_ near_ her.

Red John may be _actively_ after Lisbon, but Jane would be right beside her. Together they were going to face _anything_.

This thought made him jump to his feet and storm over to the entrance of the high security interrogation room. Whatever happened in the next minute, Jane needed to get going as fast as possible. No time for conversation, no time for logical thinking. The first flight to New York would be his.

"Stop right there, Jane."

Surprised the blonde consultant turned around and to his utter astonishment discovered Kimball Cho standing in the door leading to the adjoining room behind the one-way-mirror. Truth to be told Jane didn't put it past Cho to figure out his scheme. As it seemed yet another mistake within a couple of hours. Lisbon really needed to come back as soon as possible as it looked like Jane wasn't on top of his game whenever she wasn't around.

"I'm not a rookie. It's kinda insulting you think you can play me like that."

Jane sighed, "Cho, I don't have the time …"

"No!" the Agent interrupted him and although his tone was calm the determination was unmistakable, "You listen: We need you to be calm. We need you to be sane. We need you thinking, not running off in a mad rush."

"But Lisbon …"

"Don't make me punch you in the face. We care at least as much for her as you do and you know that. You need to be rational now. For _her_ sake." The Korean had his arms crossed in front of him and nothing gave his feelings away. His face was as stoical as usual.

It was with that moment Jane realized that the other man was right. It wouldn't be helpful acting on first impulse right now. Every time in the past when Red John was involved and he did that, something horrible happened. Therefore he simply nodded and turned around to fully face his friend.

It was Cho who continued, "I'm not sure Lorelei knows how much information she just gave us only to teach you a lesson."

Another silence settled over them and Jane started to repeat in his head the conversation with Lorelei from a few minutes ago. He heard her tell him about Detective Beckett, about Red John in New York. One sentence kept repeating itself in his head: _John __**loves**__ to remember dear Kate once in a while. _

_John loves to remember __**dear Kate**__ once in a while. _

_John loves to __**remember**__ dear Kate once in a while._

And then it dawned on Jane: She did! She actually let slip some main information just to peeve him off. Information he wouldn't have got out of her a few weeks ago. It seemed like his little "mind tricks", as she had called them, finally started to bear fruit.

Red John was present in Kate Beckett's life – even if she didn't know it. That meant, at some point in her past the serial killer had been _there_, had some influence, some impact.

And this meant a whole bunch of new information for them to discover.

Suddenly the consultant felt anticipation running through his veins.

"We know she keeps in contact with Red John, although she's in solitary confinement. We need to figure out how she gets the information. Who are her guards? Who was she in contact with? When was she anywhere except her cell? When did she have a chance to interact with others?"

Cho continued, "And we know Red John is on his way to New York. Lisbon got the news making her leave only yesterday. This means, Lorelei received the information within the last 24 hours. And we can check the passenger lists of all the flights that left since yesterday. Maybe we find something on them."

The two men nodded at each other.

"You informed the team?"

Cho cracked half a smile, "I called them as soon as Lorelei let the New York information slip. Van Pelt is already on the passenger lists, and Rigsby started putting together Lorelei's activities in the last couple of weeks, concentrating on the last couple of days."

And with these words they turned to the door and hurried back to the bull pen.

**oOo**

Lisbon cursed silently when she realized that in over a decade of never being out of battery now was the first time her cell phone was dead. Even more annoying was the fact that it hadn't worked for several hours now without her even realizing it. Jane would have a field day when she would call him later and explain why her promised call came this late.

She was sitting at a table in some coffee shop together with Kate, and her charger was back at her friends place. Looked like she wouldn't be reachable for some more hours.

"So," she started while putting the phone back in her purse and turning around to her friend again, "You quit your job and you're hooking up with your consultant now. Looks like you reached all your life goals, Katie."

A loud clank was heard when Beckett put her coffee cup on the table, a serious frown upon her face, "Don't do this, Reese. Of all people I was sure you were the only one to not judge before knowing the whole story."

Lisbon simply waved her hand. A sign for the other woman to continue and start explaining.

"First of all: pot calling the kettle black? I'm not the only one enjoying her time with her consultant," Beckett started, before taking another sip of her coffee, but she continued fast, "Me quitting the job had other reasons. Castle was right, I need to take a step back."

A long silence settled over them. People were streaming in and out of the coffee shop, ordering, laughing, sipping their beverages, but the two women kept silent. Lisbon waited for Beckett to continue, but the younger one seemed deep in thought. It took several minutes before the CBI-Agent couldn't take it any longer and started to speak again.

"Tell me what happened, Katie. This is not how you usually react. In all these years I always known that the job defines a big part of your life. And now you simply throw it away?" She bit her tongue before saying anything more. She felt like a hypocrite saying something like that, accusing her friend of throwing her career away, when in nearly a decade she'd done nothing else than risking her job in order to protect Jane. The job may have defined a big part of her life as well, but even she knew that in the end a job was just a job. She couldn't blame Kate for thinking the same.

"True. It may seem rushed to you, but for me it feels like the right decision at the moment. You need to understand this, Reese. I dug too deep and if I don't stop for now they will have my head."

Teresa's eyebrows shot upwards, "Who?"

Kate sighed, "If only I knew."

And then she told her about the events of the last couple of days.

**oOo**

They had debated, but in the end Cho decided that it was necessary to involve O'Neilley. Jane wasn't happy about this turn of events, but could do nothing against it. Lisbon was away and Cho was the agent in charge while she was gone. Also they had no jurisdiction in the State of New York and the three agents still needed to get the official approvals before anything could happen. After the debacle in Vegas they couldn't allow themselves another stunt like that.

O'Neilley, Rigsby and Van Pelt were soon informed about the latest information Jane surprisingly got out of Lorelai.

"I will inform the NYPD immediately and will try to keep the FBI out of loop as long as possible. If it's correct what Mr. Jane told me, we need to be careful who we talk to at the Federal Bureau," the Chief Agent decided after the SCU gave him all the necessary information. "Agent Cho, get your team prepared for an out-of-state investigation. In the meantime I'll clarify with the authorities and get all the necessary permits. We need to inform the Department of Justice and the Attorney General's office. This will take a while, but at least this time everything will happen in the correct order." He even smiled at the last part and winked once at them, before he turned to Jane again with a serious face, "And Mr. Jane: I think there is a flight you need to catch while my agents have to wait for authorization. As for you being a consultant and not an officer of the law, the CBI is in the fortunate position to _loan_ you to other authorities if the help is required and it is within our possibilities. I'm sure the NYPD will be happy to have you on board on such a high profile case as soon as I inform them." And with these words he nodded once, turned around and left for his office.

The team knew why their boss was doing this: One of his agents was in danger. One of his _leading_ agents was in danger. A woman in his highest respects, a skilled leader, a loyal friend. He would try his very best to keep her safe. The CBI wouldn't just watch helplessly while one of their own was in danger.

It really felt a lot like back when Minelli was still their Chief Agent.

Jane was slightly relieved, but turned once again to the team before he could storm out and catch the next flight to the city that never sleeps.

"Don't cause a stir, guys. When somebody asks, we got a regular case out of town. We cannot risk that any of this gets outside of this room. The more people who know about it, the more Lisbon and her friend Detective Beckett are endangered," he grabbed his jacket from the backrest of Grace's chair and while putting it on whispered, "I call you as soon as I have news. See you in New York."

He was gone in a heartbeat; Rigsby, Cho and Van Pelt didn't even have a chance to say their goodbyes.

**oOo**

The bat hit what felt like its 1,000 ball since he arrived 1.5 hours ago. He felt anxious, restless. This wasn't a vacation where you enjoyed to be off duty for a while. This was a suspension. His first in over 10 years of being a police officer.

And even though he felt betrayed by his colleague – even more so – by his friend, he couldn't even be really mad at Ryan when it was him saving Beckett's life while he himself had been hit unconscious. Still, he went behind his team's back and ran to the boss. Every police officer knew: The team came _always_ first. If you couldn't trust your team, you couldn't trust to stay safe.

The bat hit another ball, when his phone started to ring. He stopped the ball machine and picked up, seeing Castle's number flashing on the display.

"Hey, man!"

"Esposito, _mi cuate_! What are you up to? Enjoying the free time? Working out excessively? Charming the ladies in your neighborhood café?" At the last part Esposito could literally see the man on the other end of line wiggling his eyebrows.

He sighed, "What do you want, Castle?"

"Me? Nothing! Just checking on my mate!" Yeah, sure … and his favorite color was pink.

"Seriously, man: What do you want?"

The author sighed exaggeratedly, "Always those suspicions. Can't a man …"

"Castle! This is getting ridiculous. Either you tell me what's up now or you can talk to the signal showing I hung up on you."

"Okay, okay. Geez, don't wet your panties. You free for lunch tomorrow?"

He packed his bat into his sports bag and slung it over his shoulder. Enough of hitting the ball for today.

"Depends."

"Oh, come on. Don't be so harsh, Javi! Beckett will be there, too."

Ah, finally the real reason leaked out. So if Beckett was going to be there, surely Ryan was invited too. And – seriously – he really wasn't in the mood to see him. So when he went through the gates of the driving range he shook his head and answered, "I think I'll pass. Sorry, bro. No happy reunion of the old team."

He heard Castle growl, "So you're still sulking? Come on, suck it up, and be at _'Goods'_ at 12:30."

"Uhm … nope."

"Oh, did I mention that Beckett's friend Agent Lisbon will be there, too. She's visiting from California and would _love_ to meet you again." He literally felt Castle's grin through the phone.

Javier stopped his movements just outside of the range at the parking lot.

"Lisbon is in town?"

"Ah, you old charmer," the man on the other end of the line chuckled. "Great. So, everything is settled, see you tomorrow. Bye." He had hung up before any protest could get through. The surprised, "Castle!" never reached his ears.

Esposito cursed under his breath, put the phone back in his jeans pocket, and headed to his car. He really had no desire at the moment to meet everybody. The only positive thing was seeing Teresa Lisbon again. They always had a great time when meeting in the past. It would be good to see her again.

Once again a frustrated sigh escaped him. Desire or not he was going to show up at this lunch tomorrow. In the end he had nothing better to do anyway.

**TBC**


End file.
